Subject(s)
Internship and Residency , Medicine , Canada , Facial Pain , Humans , Sleep , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Sleep medicine as it is known today actually started as research and scientific study, not as clinical medicine. When one considers that sleep medicine today is in its infancy, it is obvious that there is much more to learn. The history of sleep dates back to the 1880s. However, the most significant developments that moved sleep forward into the practice of medicine, and eventually dentistry, occurred from the 1950s on. This article explores the highlights of the history of sleep and sleep medicine.
Subject(s)
Sleep Medicine Specialty/history , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st CenturyABSTRACT
The dentist is well positioned to screen for patients at risk for a sleep disorders, most often a sleep related breathing disorder, and when adequately trained, can treat those diagnosed with sleep apnea using an oral appliance. This treatment requires some degree of training to be able to recognize the symptoms related to the more common sleep disorders. The dentist must determine if the patient is at risk for a sleep disorder through the use of screening questionnaires, reviewing the health history, and additional questioning of the patient.
Subject(s)
Mass Screening/methods , Sleep Apnea Syndromes/diagnosis , Humans , Masticatory Muscles/physiopathology , Medical History Taking , Nasal Obstruction/diagnosis , Neck Muscles/physiopathology , Risk AssessmentABSTRACT
The potential use of a portable monitor to assess the outcome of treatment with an oral appliance would ideally be performed by the dentist who is managing the patient's sleep-disordered breathing. Portable monitoring is one of the most cost-effective ways to assess the response to the oral appliance, to determine if further adjustment to the appliance is needed, and to retest to determine the current status following any adjustment. This article emphasizes the use of portable monitors primarily for follow-up care and assessment as opposed to diagnosis or, as it is sometimes referred to, screening.
Subject(s)
Monitoring, Ambulatory , Occlusal Splints , Sleep Apnea Syndromes/therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Monitoring, Ambulatory/instrumentation , Outcome Assessment, Health Care/methods , Snoring/therapyABSTRACT
This article reviews the history of dental therapy as it has led up to currently available options for the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders with an emphasis on oral appliance therapy. Over the last 20 years and in particular the last 5 to 7 years the contribution as well as the effectiveness of oral appliances has impacted the treatment of sleep apnea and at the same time provides an alternative for many patients. The focus here is to examine oral appliances and the role they have as it may be delivered by the dentist with an interest as well as the expertise in dental sleep medicine.
